Valve-casing for elastic-fluid turbines.



. R. H. RIOB. VALVE GASING FOR ELAsTIo FLUID TUBBINES.

APPLMATION PI'LED snr?. 11, 1912,

sTATEs PATENT Ormea.

RICHARD H. RICE, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION F NEW YORK.

VALVE-CASING FOR ELASTIC-FLUID TURBINES.

To all whom it may concern:

lie it known that l, Bionaire H. lilou, a citizen oli the United States, residing at Lynn, county ot Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain. new and useful improvements in Valve-Casings for ElasticFluid Turbines, oi which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to elastic iluid turbines and is an improvement upon my prior Patent No. 1,021,212, March ,26, 1912. As shown in that patent, all the steam entered at the upper end. of 'the valve casing. lVith very large valves or where large amounts oi steam must pass, it is found to he ditli'cult to get the best results with this construction. l have, therefore, devised the invention which forms the subject matter of the present application, in which the steam is supplied to the valve casing at two or more points along its length, so that 1t has quiclf.v and easy access to the several nozzles. rl`he multiple admission of steam permits the valves and valve seats to be smaller than when all the steam had to pass through the upper valve.

in my aforesaid patent, the valve seats were formed in a conical sleeve litted .into the casing. ln the present application, the valve seats are separate,lmt ot' progressively tlift'erent diameters so that they nest together when piled up. They can be made in large Quantities to standard sizes and kept in steelt, so that casings can be built 'up readily for diii'erent numbers ot nozzles h). selecting the proper number and sizes oi" vaive seats,

lfn the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sei-.tion throixgh my improved multiple valve and itsl casing. Fig. 2 is a eros.' section o' the saine on` the line 2-2. lfigx a cross section on the line'i-S.

Fig. -i is an end elevation of a portion of a horizontal turbine cduipiiied with nay invention and hin'. 5 shows one ol the valve seals the ttufhine. illustrated is of. the Curtis type and has a casing 1 in which is a shaft 2 on which are mounted the bucket wheels ti whichv are located 'in dilierent stages of the machine and receive steam through nozzles 4l. ilach nozzle or set of nozzles revolves sit-oni through its own passage 5 oonrolled or it; individual valve 6. It is to woord that nach olz these valves is hollow .wie in ,fiddition to 'functioning as such, some` Specification of Letters Patent.

Application iled September 11, 1912.

Patented Mar. 10, 1914.Y

Serial No. 719,743.

of them act as conduits, means or passages to convey steam from the port to one or more passages leading to the turbine. In other words said valves serve a two fold purpose. The drawing shows one nozzle 7 provided with aconstantly open passage 8, in case the-turbine is used to drive a eentrifugal aircompressor, because by this arrangement the compressor will always be revolved even it the valves controlling all the. other nozzles are closed. If this arrangement is not desired, as for instance where the turbine is driving a generator, then the passage S can be blocked oit'.

The valve casing t) contains a plurality of steam passages 5, and also a plurality of steam supply or admission ports or chambers 10; .one at thelower end of the easing and the remainder higher up. The steam passages are divided into groups, and. the admission ports or chambers are interposedbetween said groups. The drawing shows six steam passages and three supply or admission ports or chambers all' of which receive steam from the same inlet. Above the bottom port is a group of three steam pas-y sages, then the middle admission port, then a group of two steam passages, then the upper admission port and finally the last steam passage. This arrangement is merely suggestive, however, and any other arrangement deemed more desirable may be adopted.

Steam is supplied through the fianged conduit 11 which leads directly to the middle admission port. Duets 12 convey steam from the conduit to the upper and lower admission ports, lVith the arrange ment illustrated, the steam entering by the upper and middle ports divides in each case between the two adjacent steam passages` while that entering by the lower port flows u p to the two passages immediately above it. Of course, the steam from diiferent ports will interlninglc more or less and will distribute itself in accordance with the demand, :s represented vhy the nozzle valves which are open.

lhe passages and ports are defined by par titions i3 in the casing and said partitions contain openings, all in axial alinement, and increasing in diameter from the lowest to the highest. Each opening is made of a predetermined size to receive a standard valve seat, which eonsists'n'a, bushing 14 having upper and lower interior ledges 15 serving as seats for a double-seat valve 6.

-Each bushing extends across the. steam passage'below it and 'is provided with apertures 16 between the ledges 15 througlrwhich steam can pass into said passage. At its lower end, the bushing is let into a rabbet in the opening in the partition below: being preferably provided with a small flange 17 to engage said rabbet and tit down over the upper end of Vthe next bushing below.

The valves 6 are of the doubleseat type and are preferably annular to atlord a passage for the steam to pass through them. rlfhe' slight dierence in areas of the upper and lower` seats of yeach valve produces a slight unbalancing effect which insures a positive seating of the valve when it closes. Theva-lves are of progressively -increasing diameter from the bottom to the top of the tier, ,to fit the tier of valve seats. Each valve can drop down through all the valve seats above its own, so that they can be quickly assembled and removed.

AThe valve stem 1S passes axially through all the valves. Strung upon it are several sleeves 19, one for each valve, and 'each carrying radial wings 20 which tit easily inside of their '-espective valves. The lower end of each Wing has a lip 21 adapted to engage with and litt its valve when the stem 18 is raised. These winged litters are so located that they pick 'up their valves in succession, beginning with the lowest, so that steam is admitted to the nozzles in succession and shut oilI in revcrse'ortler.

T ie piston Q2 ot' the motor which lifts the I Valve stem works in af'gcylinderZ8/supported on a Istool Q-t mounted on the valve casing. The pilot valve 253 yis'actuated by the floating lever. 26 linked to the arm 27 of the speed governor Q8; The lever'g is pivotally supported by ailever 29, fulcrumed on a hanger 30 and connected to stem 1S.`

' tis customary to actuate the motor by oil pressure and to prevent escaping oil from dropping upon the valve casing and possibly entering the same, a pan 31 is provided to catch the drip. v

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described the prin ciple of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but

I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative, andethatV the invention can be carried out by 'ther means. v

W hat I cla-im as new -and desire to secure by Letters Patentvcf the United States, is 1. The combination with a. valve casing having e plurality opartitions containing openings progressively increasing in diameter, of bushings fitting respective openings and each provided with seats for a double valve 2. The combination with a valvecasing having a plurality of partitions containing openings progressively increasing in diameter, of bushings fitting respective openings and extending from onepartition to the next, interior ledges on said bushings, and apertures through the walls of said bushings between said ledges.

8. The combination with a valve casing tures into said passages, and seats for double valves in said bushings.

A valve casing having partitions dividing itinto a tier of steam passages, admission ports interposed between certain passages, alined openings in said partitions'progressivelj,7 increasing in diameter, bushings fitting said openings and having apertures into said passages, seats for double valves in said bushings, valves on said seats, a stem passing through said valves, and radial lifters on said stem.

6. The combination with a turbine, Aof a valvecasing containing separate steam passages for the turbine nozzles divided into groups, and steam admission ports interposed between said groups and adjacent to said passages.

i ing a plurality of partitions with passages between, valves for controlling said pas- The combination of a valve casing, hav

sages, means for actuating the valves, an v RICHARD n.' Rien.

Witnesses JOHN A.. MCMANUS, Jr., FRANK H. JOHNSON. 

